In a typical computer system, system memory is used as a temporary storage for various types of data. As used herein, the term “data” refers to computer code, control information, software algorithms, operating systems (OSes), applications, security keys, credentials, financial information, personal information or any other sort of useful information. In recent times, hackers are utilizing several new or modified techniques to obtain access to the data stored on a computer system.
For example, they may steal an operating computer system, such as a notebook computer, not only for the computer itself, but also for the data stored on the system. Even if the system is locked (with a password, for example), a hacker may be able to reboot the system (for example, with a Universal Serial Bus (USB) token) while leaving the contents of the system memory intact.
Moreover, hackers may employ any number of nefarious techniques to retrieve the data stored in the memory of a computer system. Stolen information thus obtained may be used in unauthorized ways to cause harm to the owner of the data. A newer technique used now by hackers is to physically remove memory modules (system memory, graphics memory, or the like) from a user's computer, possibly freezing the memory modules to delay decay of the information contained therein. The hacker subsequently installs the stolen memory modules into another computer to read their contents, since the contents of the system memory are stored in an unencrypted format.